$127 Million Budget Speeds through Public Hearing

The Marlborough City Council made quick work of a public hearing on the mayor's proposed $127 million budget for fiscal year 2013, setting up a final vote on the spending plan at its next meeting. 

No one from the public spoke for or against the budget during Monday night's hearing and only Finance Committee Chairman Michael H. Ossing commented from the council. 

The full council will take up the Finance Committee's report, which includes $279,000 in additional spending reductions--including a $100,000 trim to the school budget--on June 4. 

Ossing applauded Mayor Arthur Vigeant for submitting a reasoned spending plan, but said some "challenges" loom for the city, including slowing local growth and unfunded projects and post-retirement costs. All of the city's unionized workers are also covered by contracts that expire on June 30 as well. 

"The next couple budgets could be extremely challenging for us to balance," he said. 

Ossing also took aim at the school budget, which he notes makes up more than half of all city spending. 

"For the first time in my 13 years on the council I have had calls from parents and administrators saying we did not cut enough from the school budget because people think money is going to fill psots in non-educational areas," he said. Differences between budgeting practices on the school and city side are another frustration, he said. "I'm struggling with the accounting system at the schools."

The Finance Committee held several nights of hearings on the proposed budget submitted by Mayor Vigeant, making far fewer additional cuts than in past years.